Transportation

U.K. defense company shows futuristic maritime vessle
QinetiQ launches Sentry, an unmanned fast maritime reconnaissance solution
- Read more
Court temporarily blocks DHS's tightening of SSN mismatch rules
DHS’s no-match rule on hold after federal court issues temporary restraining order; 1 October hearing looms
- Read more

Sandia enlisted to test U.S.-Mexico border fences
DHS assigns Sandia lab to test different fence technologies for U.S.-Mexico border; nine different systems are tested — three designed by DHS, six by contractors from around the country
- Read more
Acro hopes to ride wave of concern about peroxide-based explosives
Innovator in detection of peroxide-based explosives hopes for rapid growth; company boasts contracts from the armies and police forces of several countries
- Read more

TSA's emphases: Liquid explosives, shoes, and behvioral detection
TSA is encouraging the development of technologies to detect liquid explosives and shoe-scanning that does not require shore removal; emphasis on early spotting of suspicious behavior
- Read more
Senate blocks Mexican trucks trial program
On Monday we wrote about the first Mexican truck entering the U.S. as part of a controversial, NAFTA-inspired program to allow cross-border long-haul trucking; on Tuesday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to block this program
- Read more

Rules governing private planes entering U.S. tightened
Since 9/11 much effort has been invested to boost security of commercial aviation; DHS is now focusing on boosting security of private aviation
- Read more
Smart Card Alliance opposes RFID-based enhanced driver's licneses
DHS is cooperating with Vermont, Arizona, and Washington on an RFID-based enhanced driver’s licnese as an alternative to passports; the alliance says that “RFID technology was designed for automating the tracking of products and pallets through a supply chain, not for validating human identities”
- Read more

U.S. says passport processing time back to normal
Changes in U.S. law governing travel within the Western Hemisphere caused the number of passport application to rise from 12 to 16 millions, causing major backlogs and delays; passport office says these have now been cleared
- Read more
Mexican truck makes U.S. history
This past Saturday in Laredo, Texas, Mexican truck driver Luis González became the first Mexican trucker to cross the border under a controversial DOT program aimed at satisfying one of the last outstanding components of NAFTA
- Read more

Schumer, DHS IG criticize air traffic safety
On the eve of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, DHS does not get good grades on transportation security
- Read more
Company offers prepackaged toiletry
TSA imposes ever-stricter regulations on what can be carried on board; company offers prepackaged convenience items, which may double as corporate promotional kits
- Read more

ITT awarded big ADS-B contract
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is the central technology of the Next Generation Air Transportation System; ITT-led team awarded $1.8 billion contract to deploy the technology
- Read more
Reminder: WHTI relaxtion ends 30 September
Congress mandated that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda must have a passport; Passport office was buried under passport applications, so DHS relaxed the rule for the summer travel season; season now comes to an end, and so is the relaxation of rules
- Read more
DHS installs 26 radiation monitors in Florida port
DHS has been assigned the task of scanning 100 percent of all sea-going cargo containers entering the U.S. by the end of 2008; it does so one port at a time
- Read more

More headlines